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Sunday, December 14, 2014

Brazo de Reina - Queen's Arm

Simple yet impressive at the same time, Brazo de Reina (Queen's Arm) is pretty darn delicious. This light and airy sponge cake rolled up with a layer of caramel filling inside is a great finish to any meal. A couple of years ago we had a cookout and Allison's friend from Chili, Grace, brought it for dessert. It was a huge hit since anything where Dolche de Leche is involved is scrumptious. Several months later I went over to visit with Grace's mom, Mariana, and she served me a slice of it with coffee. It was so yummy that I quickly said yes when she offered me of a second piece! She shared the directions for making it and I was surprised to learn that all it consists of is six eggs, six tablespoons of sugar, and six tablespoons of flour. And glorious Dolce de Leche. I use Nestle brand; it is found by the canned condensed milk in the grocery store. The only thing tricky about Brazo de Reina is peeling the parchment paper away from the sponge cake, but I learned that if you grease the paper with a bit of butter, it is easy. Even if the edges get torn a little (which happens to me), they are hidden when the cake is rolled up. After it is baked and assembled, a dusting of confectioner's sugar and a sprinkling of fresh raspberries are all that is needed to finish it off. Everyone will think it's something extraordinary (and it is) just don't tell anyone it wasn't hard to make! For a Cranberry Bliss variation click HERE.

Ingredients:

6 eggs

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons flour

1 (13.4 oz.) can Dulce de Leche

Fresh raspberries and a tablespoon of confectioner's sugar for garnishing

Also needed:

Parchment paper and a smidgen of butter

Clean cloth dish towel and 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Small mesh strainer

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat it with the butter. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until very stiff.

Then, beat in the sugar and the yolks until mixed in.

Now add the flour and mix it in.

Pour the batter onto the parchment lined baking sheet and with a rubber spatula, spread the batter out evenly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. When it is done it will be more pale that brown. The key is that when it is touched it bounces bake and makes a distinctive sound.

Immediately, sprinkle the 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar evenly all over the dish cloth and invert the baking sheet on top of it. Lift the baking sheet up to release the sponge cake. Gently peel the parchment paper away from the sponge cake.

Starting at one end, roll the sponge cake up - dish cloth and all, Set aside and allow to cool.

When the sponge cake/dish cloth roll is no longer warm, gently unroll it. Carefully smooth the Dulce de Leche over the top, making sure it goes edge to edge.

Now reroll the sponge cake up - this time without the dish cloth.

Place the sponge cake roll on a serving platter. Put the extra tablespoons of confectioner's sugar in the fine mesh strainer and sprinkle it over the top of the roll. Garnish with raspberries.

Variations: Mix the Dulce de Leche with 2 tablespoons of orange juice or chocolate milk. Or fold 1/2 cup whipped cream into the Dulce de Leche.

About Me

Hello! I initiated this blog as a way to share quick, easy, healthy, family recipes to my three girls and other welcome friends who happened to stumble upon it. I love to cook (and eat!), but also know what it's like to work full time. As an almost empty nester there are some days where I cook only for two and other days when the girls are home with a bunch of friends. My happiest times are cooking for a houseful of people in a short amount of time. I have developed a few short cuts in order to cook something fast, yummy, yet healthy. As I reflect back on how crazy life could get when the girls were all at home, I strongly feel that sitting down and eating a homemade meal kept our communication open and grounded us. I continue to enjoy making low carb, low fat, and low sugar meals to all my loved ones and guests - and I'm glad to share the recipes! Enjoy!